Media association reacts to Kosovo PM’s ‘uneducated journalists’ gibe

Following PM Ramush Haradinaj’s remarks that many Kosovo journalists need to “go to school more,” the Kosovo Association of Journalists urges him to better cooperate with the media.

The Kosovo Association of Journalists, AGK, expressed its disappointment with Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj’s statement about journalists being unschooled.

Earlier today, Haradinaj visited the Ministry of Infrastructure and its newly appointed Minister Pal Lekaj when he was asked about a report on TV21, which said that the U.S. Embassy supports the 2015 demarcation agreement with Montenegro, following Haradinaj’s move to discharge the State Commission for Border Demarcation.

Haradinaj advised the journalist to “go to school more” and accused journalists of “not properly understanding” the statements of the U.S. Embassy.

“I have a lot of respect for the media, believe me, but many of you either don’t know how to read in English, or don’t want to understand what they said — the problem is yours. I don’t have a comment. Believe me, you are reporting without knowing how. Go to school more, listen to what they tell you,” said Haradinaj. “I read the statement [of the U.S. Embassy]. What you are claiming, that ‘Americans don’t agree,’ it is not so. There is nothing that says whether they agree or disagree with anything.”

Haradinaj refused to answer the journalist’s question regarding the U.S. Embassy’s statement.

“Next time, when you are more accurate in what they said, I will also answer,” he said in the end.

Through a statement, AGK said that it considers Prime Minister Haradinaj’s remark unacceptable and that his statements are “offensive to journalists.”

“Following with concern the statement of the newly elected prime minister, we would like to remind [everyone] that the mission of journalists is to ask questions each time they need answers, and that no one can control the content of those questions,” said AGK.

“On this occasion, AGK asks Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj to cooperate with journalists and to intensively work towards increasing governmental transparency and cooperation with the media,” the statement said.

The Office of the Prime Minister then quickly responded to the AGK’s letter, saying that Prime Minister Haradinaj “has only requested professionalism and ethics from some journalists and nothing more.”

“We are sorry if somebody, out of ignorance or on purpose, has made inaccurate portrayals of this nature,” the response said.